Undesirable Possession
by D3AD L0V3
Summary: Eva is an exotic princess of the forest, living among the centaurs. When she meets the Half Blood Prince, her world changes. Centaurs are in the beginning of a war with man-kind, and in their anger, they capture the snake and put him on trial. In a wild attempt to rescue the man, Eva claims him as her mate. Was saving his life worth it, or is she just an undesirable possession?


CHAPTER ONE

Follow Your Heart

A rush of exhilaration. Body and mind working in perfect unison. Hair flying freely as she ran against the wind. Nothing could feel better than this. This was what it felt like to live. Her eyes took in every sight. Beautiful, large trees taller than the eye could see. Animals foraging in the woods, paying no mind to the girl, as they knew she would not harm them. Birds singing up above her, snakes rattling down below her. She ran as though her life depended on it. She had come to believe that was true- that her life actually did depend on running. The rush filled her with such delight that she felt as if she could fly. The soft forest floor cool against her bare feet. The girl sent leaves and moss flying up behind her as she ran, knowing every root she had to jump, every swamp she had to hurdle and every branch she needed to duck under. She knew the forest better than anyone. As she ran, she became one with the forest, using the beautiful gifts of mother nature to make the most out of her time. She swung off of branches and vines, leaped from tree to tree and dodged any animals that crossed her path. She had been running for so long that it had become as natural as breathing air. When she wasn't running, she just wasn't happy. She threw herself into the race with carefree abundance, closing her eyes and letting all of her other senses take over. When she did this, it seemed as if magic happened. Even with her eyes closed, she dodged every tree, hopped every fallen log, and never faltered.

"You have to wonder how she does that..." The girl's brother Torvus said, watching as she came into view. He was well-built, as most centaurs, with thick, brown hair tied back in a low braid. His lower half was the body of a white stallion.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Their father Tivus- royalty by centaur standards- said with a chuckle, slinging his bow over his back. One look at him and you could tell that Torvus must have gotten his looks from his mother, because- though he was well-built as well- his coat was as black as night, and his hair as bright as the moon. "She's been running ever since she could balance herself. Now she's even faster than you, and you've got two more legs than she has!"

The boy scoffed, his tail flicking behind him. "She could never beat me in an open field."

The girl finally slowed, coming to a stop in front of her family. Her chest heaved and her body glistened with sweat. Her thick chestnut-brown curls cascaded down her back, hanging just past her hips. Her sharp blue eyes shone brightly with excitement. The only thing she wore to cover herself was a small piece of leather tied around her hips. It wasn't considered odd the way she had been raised. It was quite common for centaur women to leave their chests bare. _I may not be a centaur, but I've only known this life,_ she thought as her breath began to even out. _Their customs are my customs._

"You are running more and more every day... Your body was not made to exert itself so much, Evania." Her father said, worry deep in his eyes. He was always overly protective of his little girl. Of course, she wasn't technically his daughter, but he had raised her since he had found her, lying in the dying arms of her mother. He had named her Evania- young fighter- because that was exactly what she was. She had been an inch away from death when he'd found her, but she'd fought her way through, like she always did. Being raised around centaurs, she had always been left out when it came to running through the woods. She had never been able to keep up. Then, after she had been training in private for years, she had shown the group her skills. All had doubted her, and most had wanted her sent away, out of the forest so that she wouldn't be a burden. That day, however, she had shown the centaurs exactly what a human body was capable of, and made sure that they never forgot it by continuing to train, become better and better each day.

"I will not be a burden to you. Ever again. I've heard the things that the others used to say about me, and about you, for taking me in. I will not shame you."

" Evania, that was _years_ ago. Besides, you could never shame me. I took you in because I knew that you needed me, and that I could protect you. But if you're off running around every day, how am I supposed to protect you?"

"Father, It is my body, and I will use it as I wish." Eva said simply, rolling her eyes as her father gave her a disappointed look. "I will be careful, father. I promise."

"No, she won't. She'll only work harder now, to try and prove to you that she can handle it," Torvus said, knowing his sister all too well. Eva swung her arm back and hit the centaur in the gut, smirking as his human half doubled over in pain.

" If you two cannot learn to get along, I will chain you to each other! How would it feel to have Evania on your back for a whole day?" He asked Torvus, who widened his eyes in horror. "Or to have to spend all day letting someone _else_ do the running for you?" He asked Eva, who shook her head swiftly. "Now, apologize."

"Sorry." They grumbled in unison, both taking it back beneath their breaths.

Tivus rolled his eyes and turned away from his children. "There is a gathering at the river, to discuss the problem of the two-legs," he said, giving Eva an apologetic grimace. "You are both to be there. It begins in fifteen minutes." The older centaur galloped off through the forest, his children following after him. They knew not to be late for gatherings- it usually ended in punishment. Every centaur- rather, every member of the tribe- was supposed to be there. If they didn't show, it meant they didn't care, that they would gladly spit in the face of the tribe's elders if given the chance. Usually, they were lashed. Sometimes, they were disowned. Eva had never missed a gathering, but she knew that Torvus had. She could see it on his back.

Eva always found it amazing to see so many centaurs gathered in one place. She had always found them to be the most beautiful creatures of the forest. Majestic, strong, and proud. She was honoured to be a part of it. When they arrived, Eva and Torvus went to stand by their father's side and waited for the elders to speak.

"Man-kind has become more and more aggressive over the years. They have come to believe that his forest belongs to them- that they can steal from our mother for their own selfish desires. They poison her with their filthy habits. These two-legs know only how to take, never how to give back. For years, we have allowed them into our domain to try and keep the peace, but not anymore! We will not stand for their thieving ways!" The first elder spoke, anger and power filling his voice.

"What would you have us do to stop them, Elder?"

"If anyone finds a two-leg in our part of the forest, they are to bring it to our attention immediately, and we shall decide whether or not it deserves to live." The second elder declared. All of the centaurs hollered in agreement, having put up with man-kind for far too long.

"You cannot decide who deserves to live and who doesn't!"

"Eva!" Tivus hissed, tugging his daughter back behind him. Even with his status, he had to bow to the elders. "She does not know what she is saying. Fatigue has made her delusional," Tivus said, trying to protect his daughter, as usual.

" I am not delusional!" Eva snapped, stepping forward to face the elders directly. "Man-kind are creatures of this earth as well. The earth is their mother as much as she is ours. Our mother has given us all of these beautiful things to use for our benefit, to live. It is not stealing when mother nature offers it to us so willingly. We are the thieves if we attempt to keep our mother's bounty from man-kind."

" They do not deserve it! They use it for evil, they use it against each other, against us! Surely you would not have us risk the life of one of our own by letting one of them _live_?" The first elder questioned her.

"How do you know what their intentions are? You take the worst of what man-kind has done and apply it to every one of them. You cannot just assume that their intentions are bad. I am a two-leg, and my intentions have always been good."

" You were not raised as they were. They wish to dominate the other races, to _tame_ us. Nothing good will come of them."

" You cannot just _kill _them! They have families, as we do! They have lives, they have loved-ones to protect! Perhaps they come in search of something to cure an illness, or to ease the pain of birthing. Surely we should not kill them for that?"

"They must learn to let nature take its course! They cannot keep trying to stop death. With each success they grow arrogant, and the more arrogant they become, the more they will believe that this earth belongs to them alone."

"We use herbs to cure the sick. How are we any different, then?"

" We were born in the forest, and man was born out _there. _That is where they should stay."

"But-"

"ENOUGH!" Eva flinched as the third elder spoke, his eyes gazing into hers. "Our decision is final. Any man, woman, or child caught within the confines of our land shall be executed."

"How could you be so foolish? Confronting the elders in such a way. I raised a smarter girl than that!" Tivus said after the meeting had disbanded and they were alone.

"You did raise a smart girl, father. And that girl knows that it isn't right to murder every questionable creature that comes into the forest."

"They are tired of the way man-kind abuses our mother. They take all of her resources, they suck her dry."

"Not every man can be like that! There are the good, and there are the bad. You cannot sacrifice the good to try and keep out the bad! If this new rule had been in effect when you found me, would you have turned me in?"

"Of course not!"

" How can you be so sure? The elder clearly stated that any man, woman or _child_ was to be executed. If they do this, they will be killing any chance man has at innocence! They could be killing _good_ people, father."

"You mustn't think of it like that, Evania."

"What other way is there to think of it? It is murder, father, and nothing more! If I were to change my appearance, they would bring me in and murder me, without a second that as to who I was. How could you wish that upon others? You may as well be the one murdering them."

"Be reasonable, Eva!"

"_Reasonable?_ You think it is _reasonable_ to murder man-kind because of the impression their ancestors made? Man can _change_, father! All they need is time. And if we can't give them that, how much better are we, really?"

"Eva-"

"I won't stand for it, father."

Eva turned away and did what she did best- she ran. She did not why she cared so much about the fate of man-kind. What she did know was that it hurt to think that if they did not know her, they would kill her just as quickly as anyone else. She no longer felt accepted. She felt more of an outcast than she ever had before. She also knew that killing man-kind would only provoke them into taking actions. It would cause a war between the two species, and it would mean pain and suffering for all. Eva could not let that happen.

Eva ran until she could run no more. When she had finally stopped, she could see the outside world beyond the trees just ahead of her. She had never been this far out before. She'd promised her father never to wander out of the woods, to always stay safe within the trees, in case one of man-kind found her, and took her. "They have to be better than the elders believe," she mumbled, picking up an acorn and throwing it past the trees. She walked cautiously forward, her heartbeat quickening as she neared the end of the forest. Eva stood behind the very last tree before the forest's end, afraid of what she might see beyond. She took a deep breath and, eyes still closed, stepped around the tree. _You can do this,_she thought, gripping the tree behind her for support. _Just open your eyes, and-_ Eva opened her eyes and gasped. The first thing she noticed was the large, beautiful castle that was taller than any tree she had ever dared to climb. "It's like a forest of stone," she whispered, her blue eyes taking in as much detail as possible. Surely, if man could create something as beautiful as what she was seeing, they couldn't be all that bad?

Next, Eva looked at the vast grassy fields. There were a few trees, here and there, but it was so _open_ and _bright._ The evening sun shone beautifully on every surface, and the wind rushed through the grassy plains. Eva took a careful step forward, marvelling in the feeling of fresh grass beneath her feet. They had grass in the forest, but none so lovely as this. Here, it was all there was. Eva took a few more steps forward, out of the shadow of the forest and into the sunlight. She could see why man-kind would want to live in such a place. She loved the forest with all of her being, but it was nice just to bask in the sun, enjoying the view. In the forest, you could barely see past the next tree. Here, Eva could see everything. A small hut, a vast glassy lake, forests outside of her own.

Eva screamed when she felt the hand wrap tightly around her wrist. She had been so distracted by the nature outside of the forest that she hadn't seen the man approach her. She tried to tug her hand away, but the man's grasp was too strong. "Let me go!"

"Would you mind explaining to me _why_ you are out here, in the Forbidden Forest of all places? And where, might I ask, are your _robes_?"

"R-robes? Forbidden?"

"What house do you belong to? Rest assured, I will be docking many points for this erratic behaviour. You cannot run wild through the Forbidden Forest like a little trollop." The man said, dipping his eyes to Eva's bare chest for a fleeting moment before looking back at her face. Confusion showed clear on her features. She had absolutely no idea what this man was talking about. She did not belong to a house. The forest was her home, and that was that. She did not understand how he thought she was behaving erratically- she was not acting any differently than she had inside the forest. Lastly, she had absolutely no idea what a _trollop_ was, though she could easily assume that it wasn't meant to be a compliment. The man raised his brow at her confusion, and his grip slackened. "Who are you?"

"My name is Evania." She said, removing her wrist from the man's grasp and taking a few quick steps back.

"And you do not attend Hogwarts?"

"Hog-warts? Well, that sounds rather unpleasant, doesn't it?" Eva giggled softly, her nervousness ringing throughout her laughter.

"Where did you come from?"

"The forest, of course. I've lived there my whole life, with my father and my brother-"

"There are more?" The man stepped closer to Evania, and she stood her ground. Her fear began to slowly slip away as she took in the sight of the man. He was tall, with long, slick black hair. He had deep, ominous eyes and a rather large nose. His clack hair made his pale skin stand out so much that he almost looked like a ghost. The rest of his body was covered in thick, heavy fabric, from his shoulders, all the way down to the ground. She didn't know how he could stand being confined by so much fabric. Now, Eva was the one to step forward. She had never seen another two-leg before. She closed the distance between them and looked at him intently, studying his every feature. She placed her hands on his arms, squeezing gently to feel what was beneath the fabric. She was surprised to find that his arms were actually quite strong. Perhaps not as strong as a centaur's. She wondered what he did to make them that way. Certainly he did not swing from trees as she did, or work with weapons as her brother and father did. As far as she could tell, the man had no weapons.

"Would you mind-"

Eva ignored the man and moved her hands to his broad chest, smiling at what she felt. All of the cloth he covered himself in hid the fact that he actually had a rather nice body. Eva, having seen plenty of chests in her years, moved lower, curious as to what men had beneath their waists. It was all quite similar to Eva's own body, with only one distinct difference, right between the man's legs. As Eva brushed over that specific spot, the man when rigid, his mouth gaping. Eva blinked and back up as whatever she had felt beneath the black fabric expanded. "What _is_ that?" She asked.

The man soon regained his composure and glared at Eva. "You are rather ignorant to this world." He said, pulling his robes tighter around him. "You cannot go around trying to seduce-"

"Seduce?" Eva laughed and shook her head. "I apologize if it seems that I am trying to seduce you. That is not the case, however. I am merely curious. I've never seen a man before."

"Never? You mentioned a brother and father. Surely they are men?"

"They are centaurs." Eva said, as if it were natural for a human to be raised by the half-man, half-horse creatures.

The man scoffed, not believing her. "Centaurs are too arrogant and prideful to take in one who is not their kind."

Eva groaned, rolling her eyes. It seemed that even here she could not escape the hatred between the two species- and she was in the very middle of it. The centaurs expected her to be on their side because she had been raised with their customs and beliefs. But the humans would want her on their side, because she was one of them.

"They are not as bad as you say." Eva said, defending the centaurs to this man, just as she had defended man-kind to the elders. "And believe me, they think bad of you as well."

"They are savage! They kill without question and regret nothing!"

"Yes, but they also have compassion. Perhaps not for our kind, but for each other. I've lived with them my entire life, and I am not dead. That must mean _something_. They cannot be as savage as you believe. They are only afraid of what man-kind will do to our mother if they let him. That does not justify killing countless men, but you would do the same if you believed that your mother was in jeopardy. They are ignorant to your ways, just as you are to theirs. If you judge, and never take the time to know each other, hatred is all you will ever know."

"You are wise for a girl who has spent her entire life in a forest."

Eva blushed softly and looked down, only then noticing the basket of herbs a few feet away from the man. Her eyes widened and she looked back up at the man. "You must be careful! The centaurs are angry... if they see you in the forest, they will kill you."

"I am not afraid of a centaur," the man said haughtily, pulling out a long stick from his robes.

"You're going to... throw a _stick?_"

"This is not a _stick_, it is a wand."

"What is a wand?"

"You don't know what a _wand_ is?"

"Should I?"

"Well, seeing as you are a witch, I should say so."

"I am a _what_?"

The man sighed in frustration, running a hand through his thick black hair. "A witch. A girl with the ability to use magic."

"But I have never used magic in my life."

"I can tell," he said, his eyes rolling over Eva's body. "Your magic has been contained so long that it's practically oozing out of you..." The man ran his hands over his wand for a moment before handing it over to the girl. Point this at that flower over there and say _alesco_."

Eva took the wand and studied it. The wood was as dark as her hair, and it was fairly long. It felt comfortable in her hand. She gripped it carefully and pointed it at the small, yellow flower that looked as if it wouldn't live much longer. "_Alesco,_" she said, the word feeling right on her tongue. Magic practically exploded out of the wand and shot to the flower. Eva thought for sure that the plant would have died, shrivelled into nothing. But, as the light from the blast of magic faded, she saw that the exact opposite had happened. The plant grew, sprouting new bulbs, which bloomed in turn into wide, yellow flowers. Eva lowered the wand slowly and looked over at the man. "How-?"

"Magic," he drawled slowly, reaching out for his wand. Eva was a tad reluctant to hand it back to him. It had felt so amazing to let the magic out.

"We can get you your own wand, in time. You like the feeling of now, but think of how good it will feel when you're holding the wand that was made for you."

Eva smiled and handed over the wand. "I would like that very much." She said, looking back at the flower- now a patch of flowers- that was still growing. She had been afraid of the man at first, but know she saw that beneath his umbrageous attitude, there was something soft, something warm.

"Come," he said, turning towards the castle.

"Wait- I can't leave the forest- my family... I-"

"You are meant to be in _this_ world, Evania. You cannot really expect me to let you continue to live like this? You need to be with your own kind-"

"They are my own kind! I don't care if I'll never get to experience that feeling again, I will not leave." Evania turned and walked into the forest, picking up speed as the man followed after her. "Don't follow me," she growled, shooting a quick glare at the man. "You are going to get yourself killed."

"You are a danger to yourself if you do not come with me. Magic should not be contained!"

"I have managed to contain it for nineteen years, I am certain that I can handle a few more." She shot, her pace quickening. When she saw the first centaur, she stopped dead in her tracks. She turned sharply o face the man and pushed him back. "Go! Now! You need to get out of here, now!"

"I am not leaving-"

"GO!" She shouted, shoving him as hard as she could, looking over her shoulder to see that more centaurs had arrived and were watching the two humans, slowly closing in on them. "Please, go!" Eva pleaded as the centaurs got closer and closer. The man finally seemed to notice that he was in danger and was about to do some sort of magic to save himself when his wand was knocked out of his hand with a rock. The ropes came next, each centaur throwing a loop around him to keep him in place. "No!" Eva tried tugging at the ropes, to no avail. "Let him go! He means us no harm!"

"He was chasing after you!" Torvus said, coming to the front of the centaurs. "He was trying to take you away to _his_ world. He was trying to trick you with his magic."

"Torvus, _please_."

Torvus shook his head and turned to the other centaurs. "Bring him to the council of elders!"

"_NO!_" Eva cried, lashing out at her brother. "Let him go! Give him a chance!"

Torvus pushed his sister away and motioned for the centaurs to follow him. With that, they began to run through the forest. Eva chased after them, using all of her experience of the woods and running to barrel ahead of them. She needed to find her father, to seek guidance. She had no idea what she could do to save the wizard- though she was sure her father would know something. She just hoped that he was willing to tell her. When she reached their grove, her father was there waiting for her.

"You were spotted with a human. You left the forest. I had Torvus follow you, and he saw. He saw _everything."_ he said as he carved a bow with a sharp blade.

"I need to save him, father..."

Tivus looked up from the bow and shook his head. "You can't. He is beyond saving."

"Father, I have to do _something_! He is a good man! I spoke with him, he _helped_ me."

Tivus sighed and set the bow and knife down. He knew a way to save the man, but it was dangerous. Either the man and Eva would both be killed, or Eva would be shunned. Either way, he would never be able to see his daughter again. He didn't think that the man's life was worth risking his daughter's life, but if he didn't tell her, and she found out... she would never speak to him again. Tivus groaned in frustration. "There is... _one_ way."

Eva's face lit up and she ran to her father, hugging him tightly. "Tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it."

So, Tivus told his daughter exactly what it was that she had to do, every word she had to say. Eva, to Tivus' great regret, agreed to go through with it.

"Stop!"

Eva's voice rang clear through the silence. Every centaur turned to look at her as she appeared, her hair wild from running as fast as she could, her father's knife held in her right hand. She walked past the rows of centaurs and made her way to the very front, where the elder stood. What she saw made her want to weep. The wizard had been stripped bare and tied in between two trees. His back was facing Eva, and she could see the angry red marks that ran down his back. Some were even bleeding. She walked up to the man courageously and placed a hand on his pale cheek. Upon close inspection, she saw that the centaurs must have hit the man once or twice on the head as well, because blood had matted his hair, and dark bruises were forming. "I'm sorry," she whispered, pushing his tangled hair out of his face. With that, she put the knife to the ropes that bound the man and cut them, catching the man as his legs touched the floor and gave out.

"Evania!" The elder holding the trial glared at her, anger flaring in his eyes. "This man is on trial! You will put him down and leave at once!"

"This man has done nothing wrong!" She replied bravely, shifting her weight so that she could hold the man with more ease. "You cannot kill him."

"You have no say in this, girl!"

"Oh, but I do, Elder. Is it not custom that a woman of this tribe, and of my age, if a mate has not already chosen her, is to chose a mate herself?" Nobody had chosen Eva as her mate. How could they? They were far too different. For one, the whole purpose of choosing a mate was _to mate_. And, well... Eva would probably die if that happened.

"Yes, it is. But what does that have to do with-"

"I wish for this man to be my mate." She said, causing a string of murmurs to circle around the centaurs. "And, if this man becomes my mate, he becomes part of this tribe. Which means, by custom, he cannot be killed."

"And what makes you think that we will not kill him, and you along with him?"

"As an elder, you must keep to the customs. To stray from the custom would show weakness. It would show the tribe that out customs do not matter to you, and therefore _we_ would not matter. Is that what you want, Elder?"

The area grew silent again as everyone awaited a response. Eva had done everything that her father had told her to do. She had claimed the man as her mate, she had stood bravely against the elder, and she had compromised his position. The centaurs admired bravery, and wisdom. Eva had very clearly demonstrated both, and the centaurs would not stand for her, or, by association, her mate, being killed. However, they could do nothing to keep her from being shunned. The elder knew this, and so he grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Very well, Evania. I shall not kill either of you. I will, however, cast you from the tribe for your behaviour. You have directly dishonoured the elders twice today, and we will not stand for that. We will hold a traditional ceremony for you and your _mate _in three days time, and then you must leave with him. You may not come back, you may not have contact with any member of the tribe." The elder looked at her and the man with disgust before he turned away. "I hope you are happy with your decision, Evania, because you will be dealing with it for the rest of your life."

Eva sighed as the three days passed far to quickly, and she found that the ceremony was only moments away. She was sitting on a fallen log, staring into the river as the women centaur prepared her for the ceremony, braiding flowers into her hair, weaving a beautiful floor-length dress out of the many flowers of the forest. Her heart was racing. She did not think that she would be this nervous. She had only done what she did to save the man's life, but she didn't even know his name, his favourite colour, his hobbies. Sure, she would find them out in time, but... Eva had always thought that choosing a mate would be so much different. She didn't regret her decision, she was just worried about what would happen after the ceremony. She feared that _he_ would regret it. That he would tell her she should have just let him die.

"It's time." Tivus walked up to the women, smiling as his daughter stood up, her dress fitting perfectly to her body. For centaurs, the women usually had a blanket of flowers to cover their backs, but the women had done an amazing job weaving a dress for Eva. She looked absolutely stunning. The bright flowers braided into her dark hair made it look lustrous and beautiful. The different colours of her dress brought out the beautiful colour of her skin- like the inside of an almond. Her exotic blue eyes sparkled with determination- and fear. Tivus held out his arm and she linked hers through it slowly, breathing heavily. "You did the right thing, Eva. Goodness knows I'll miss you, but... you followed your heart."

Eva nodded softly, licking her lips, which were stained with the juice from some red berries. They began walking, slowly, to the ceremony. Eva expressed each of her fears to her father as they walked. That he would not like her, that he might be abusive (though she doubted it), that he would expect more from her than she could give, or that he would resent her for saving his love at the cost of him being bound to her forever. Centaur ceremonies were much different from the weddings of man-kind. For centaurs, you chose one mate, and you were with them for the rest of your life. There was no 'divorce'. The only way they could be separated was if one of them died.

"I'm sure he will be grateful," her father reassured her. "Besides... any man would be fall all over you, with the way you look now. You look absolutely radiant tonight."

It was true. Everyone they passed couldn't seem to take their eyes off of her. She had always been beautiful, but her hair was always wild from running, her skin smudged with dirt. Now, she was clean, having washed herself in the lake, and the flowers made her look almost like an enchanted creature of the forest. She couldn't help the blush that came to her face as people continued to stare, which only added more to her natural beauty. When the music from the ceremony reached her ears, she wanted desperately to turn around and run, but that would only get her and the wizard killed. She looked up at her father, tears building up in her eyes.

"I love you." She said softly, a tear sliding slowly down her cheek. He wiped it of and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I love you too, Eva."

Eva let go of her father's arm and stepped into the view of those attending the ceremony. She watched as her father took his place in the crowd. Unlike marriages, the mating ceremonies had the 'brides' walk alone, to show that it was their own choice. If they didn't want to go through with the ceremony, they would turn around and leave. If they could not proceed without the comfort of their father, they were not ready. It was also a show of bravery. Eva had to walk slowly, having to tell herself not to be afraid. She belonged in the human-world. The forest could not be her home forever. She did not wish to die alone, and she would if she stayed were she was. She did not want the magic to destroy her, like the wizard had said it would.

Eva watched the floor as she walked. It was strewn with flower petals, which seemed to swirl around her feet as she walked. It was said that the flowers turned black, that it was not meant to be. In a way, Eva hoped that they would turn black, to give her a sign that this was the wrong thing to do. When they didn't turn black, she closed her eyes and stopped walking. With that, she looked up. All eyes were on her. All three elders stood ahead of her, beside the Ceremonial Trees- two trees that, while growing, had entwined themselves, seemingly in a lovers' embrace. The wizard stood in front of the trees. He had been given back his robes, and he wore them now. He still looked very pale, but he was conscious. Eva had been told that he had slept for nearly two days. She had tried to see him, but they would not let her. She studied his face now. He did not look angry, but he didn't look happy, either.

After breathing in deeply a few times, Eva continued walking, only stopping again when she stood in front of the tree, beside the man. She looked up into his dark eyes, an apology clear in hers. _It was the only way_, her blue eyes seemed to say. The man nodded softly and managed a small smile. Then , as they stepped closer to each other, the man's eyes widened in surprise. There was something vaguely familiar about the colour of Eva's eyes. They were a very light, bright blue, that sparkled. They were also very knowing, like she could see through him. The man had seen those eyes before. In fact- he saw them every day. But somehow, he could not place them. Not wanting to dwell on the odd familiarity of her eyes, the man looked at the rest of her, and had his breath taken away. In his world, it was tradition for the bride to wear a white gown on their wedding day. Seeing Eva now, his eyes lit up in admiration. The colours, the fragrance- it was all so wonderful. It accentuated the girl's natural beauty, much more than a boring white dress could.

"I never noticed how beautiful-" The man cut himself off, his face reddening slightly. He wasn't the type of man to give compliments. He usually gave criticisms, sometimes constructive, but mostly just patronizing. However, he could not find a single thing about Eva in that moment to criticize.

Centaur Mating Ceremonies were short and sweet, so when the elders began to speak, it was not long before the ceremony fell to Eva and the Wizard- who, by the words of the elders, she had discovered was named Severus Snape. It was time for them to kiss. Eva's first. She closed her eyes and let her head drop, nervousness getting the best of her. She had know idea what to do- Centaurs did not show affection publicly except at the ceremonies, and Eva had only been to a few. Even then, she had looked away as they kissed, out of respect. She didn't even know how it worked. She knew it involved lips- she had kissed her father's cheek before, but this was different. Much different. Exa opened her eyes in surprise as she felt Severus grasp her chin lightly, lifting her head. '_It's okay,_' he mouthed, brushing her bottom lip lightly with his thumb. He let his eyes drop and leaned in closer to her, his hand sliding from her chin to cup her cheek as his lips met hers. She hadn't expected to react the way she did. She'd thought the kiss would be emotionless- just something they both had to do in order to survive. It felt like so much more than that, though, and so she kissed him back eagerly, copying the way he seemed to move his lips. When he pulled away, she lingered there for a moment, her eyes still closed, until she realized it was over and let her lips fall back into a soft smile, opening her eyes again to look at Severus.

From there, the sweetness of the ceremony ended. Eva didn't even get to say goodby to her family and they were both escorted out of the forest. She had wished the moment could last a little longer- but the elders were impatient. They felt that she had betrayed them by tricking them into letting the two-leg live, and held no guilt in cutting the ceremonial feast out completely and forcing the two to leave. Eva yelled for her father, but was ignored. Severus insisted that the centaurs need not use such force, to which they only pushed harder. Even though Eva had grown up with them, once the elders had shunned you, everyone shunned you. You were considered the 'enemy'. When they finally reached the edge of the forest, the centaurs turned back and ran off. Eva's dress had been ruined as they'd pushed her along, her hair falling out of its braid. In the distance, she heard her father yelling angrily, and she tried to force back her tears, but she could not. Once the first tear fell, the next came quickly, flowing down her cheeks in an endless stream.

"Why did you do it?" Severus asked, watching as Eva broke down in front of him. "Why, if it hurts you so much?" He pulled out his wand (the centaurs must have given that back to him as well) and magically conjured a kerchief, using it to wipe away Eva's tears. He knew what it was like to lose someone you cared about, to have it all taken away.

Eva, when she had stopped sobbing enough to actually talk, said sincerely, "I couldn't let them kill you..."

"You should have."

Eva looked up, hurt. "Do you regret it?" She asked, voicing her worst fear to her 'mate'.

Severus took a while to answer. He didn't want to hurt her, but she deserved the truth. "I do not... but I fear that I may."

Undesirable


End file.
